What is Aerobics?
Aerobic exercise is a moderate-intensity physical activity that focuses on improving cardiovascular fitness. It offers many health benefits such as improved stamina and energy levels, better circulation, lowered bad cholesterol levels, and a reduction in stress and anxiety.
Importance of Foot Care in Aerobics
Most aerobic activities place a lot of stress on the feet. So, there is a high risk of injuries involving the foot, ankle, and lower leg. You could easily sustain a serious injury if your ankles are incorrectly positioned when performing high-impact aerobics. Wearing improper shoes, uneven surfaces, and strenuous aerobic routines are some of the other common reasons for foot injuries.
Proper shoes are crucial to successful, injury-free aerobics. These shoes should provide sufficient cushioning and shock absorption to compensate for pressure on the foot during aerobics that many times is greater than your bodyweight. Hardwood floors with padded mats are the best surfaces for aerobic exercise.
Common Aerobics Foot Injuries include
- Plantar fasciitis (arch pain): This is caused by repeated stress placed on the bottom of the foot during aerobics exercise. Often, the use of proper shoes that provide comfortable support to the arches can help to resolve the issue. In case that does not work, you should consult your foot doctor for treatment and advice on the correct footwear. In some cases, an orthotic device may help.
- Sesamoiditis: The sesmoid bones are a set of accessory bones found below the big toe. The sesamoids are also known as the ball bearings of the feet. Excessive force placed in this area can lead to inflammation or even fracture of these bones. The condition can be prevented by the use of well-fitting shoes or by custom orthotic devices.
- Heel spurs: These are bone abnormalities that form due to gradual calcium deposit formation on the lower side of the heel bone. This is related to plantar fasciitis and can often be avoided by a proper warm-up and stretching the soft tissues on the bottom of the foot.
- Achilles tendon and calf pain: This is caused by the repeated rising on the toes during various aerobics exercises, which may result in painful tightness in the calf and inflammation of the Achilles tendon. This can be resolved by gentle stretching of the calf muscles before and after aerobics.
- Stress fractures: These are microscopic tears in the bone that can be caused by the repetitive pounding of the feet on hard surfaces and wearing improper shoes. This usually occurs in the lesser metatarsal bones and is more common in women than men. Spacing out your aerobic workouts to give your body sufficient time to recover will usually alleviate symptoms.